The Ambassadors’ Connecticut meeting.

THE DEPARTURE OF THE PATRIOTIC KENYAN AMBASSADOR PETER N.R.O OGEGO AND HIS RECENT VISIT TO CONNECTICUT, USA:
From 9th. April to 11th. April 2010 His Excellency the Kenyan Ambassador to USA, was a visitor of the Kenyans living in Connecticut. Mr. Ben Mbugua, the son of Mr. Isaac Newton Kinity picked the Ambassador from his hotel, [the Marriot] in Hartford, at 1pm. On arrival in New Haven town at 2.30 pm, the Ambassador met with the senior administrators of the Yale prestigious University, where they deliberated on a program which would benefit the High school leavers in Kenya, who fail to get places at the Kenyan Universities. At 4pm, the Ambassador talked to both the Kenyan students at the Yale University, the staff and students from other parts of the world, from different faculties in the University. When the talk ended at 5.30pm, the Ambassador joined many Kenyans and American friends for Dinner hosted in his honor. At the Dinner party, the Ambassador was able to interact with among others, the host Mr. Isaac Newton Kinity, Engineer Charles Kodi, the President of the Kenya American Society, Professor John Kiarie Wanjogu, a department Director at the African Studies in Yale University, Dr. Hezel Mugo, an immigration Lawyer, Rev. Bonk, the Executive Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center, Mr. Chris George, the Executive Director of the Interfaith Refugees Services and many others.

At 10am On the 10th. 0f April 2010, the Ambassador visited the Overseas Ministries Study Center Offices in New Haven Connecticut, where he met with the senior staff of the center. At the coffee table, the Ambassador discussed a variety of issues related to theology and the interaction between Kenya and the center on such matters. At 12pm, the Ambassador left the Center for the main function at the Yale University to address Kenyans, some of who had come from as far as Missouri, Baltimore, Lowell, Springfield, Delaware, New York and other adjacent areas.

There were many speakers at the function who talked about different issues ranging from immigration matters, help for the disadvantaged Kenyans especially young girls who turn to prostitution and those with HIV, Investment in Kenya and the passport renewal. But one speaker impressed the audience when he rose up to send the Ambassador with sensitive messages to the Kenya Government. He began his speech by congratulating the Kenya Government by what it is doing to improve the infrastructure by building roads. He thanked the Government for the freedom of expression now enjoyed by Kenyans, but he did not hesitate to tell the Ambassador that the freedom of the press was still far from realization. He said that following the invasion if the Standard Newspaper offices a few years ago, and the subsequent theft of the equipments, the press in Kenya, the Press has been working in fear. He also requested the Ambassador to advice the Kenya Government to tap the academic potential from those in the Diaspora who can replace the expatriates earning a lot of money in Kenya, doing Jobs which can be done by Kenyans who currently are working in different parts of the World. He also requested the Ambassador to ask the Kenya Government to provide incentives to Kenyans in the Diaspora so that they would invest heavily back home. But his talk became more entertaining when he told the Ambassador, “ we in the Diaspora send you with the message to the Government back home, we are tired and unhappy to continue sending large sums of money to our relatives and friends because of the suffering and poverty subjected to them by the Kenyan leaders who not only have failed to address past corruption but continue to loot public funds. Our message from the Diaspora is that they not only stop looting public funds and increasing their salaries but should also address past crimes such as corruption”. He also told the Ambassador that, on behalf of the Diaspora, I send you with the message that the perpetrators of the post election violence should be prosecuted by the ICC because in the 14 years of the continued killings of the innocent women and children the Kenya Government has failed to arrest anybody in connection with the killings. The Kenya Government should not at all protect the perpetrators of those killings” he said. On compensation of those being evicted from the Mau Forest, that speaker told the Ambassador, “Mr. Ambassador, those being evicted from the Mau Forest were not the original owners of the land allocated to Kenyans initially. Those who were initially allocated the Mau Forest were not landless but had large farms where they had their permanent homes. The Mau Forest was filled with Government commercial trees which had been planted there for the purpose of earning money for public utility, but after all those who were employed to look after those trees were dismissed from service and evicted from the forest in 1985, the entire Forest with all the trees in it was allocated to one community by the then administration. They cut down all the trees and sold them. It was after clearing all that land off all the trees, that they sold the land to the new settlers who are now being evicted. We in the Diaspora recommend that all those being evicted today, except President Moi and his sons relatives, friends and those who were in the system of governance at the time, be compensated. Meanwhile we ask the Kenya Government to recover all the money earned through the sale of the trees and all the money earned through the sale of the land by those initially allocated the Mau Forest”.

The Controversial speaker went further and told the Ambassador, “Your Excellency, on the 9th. On December 2009, the Kenya media reported that 100,000 bullets, Army Uniforms, Plane Batteries, Army food rations and other weapons were found hidden at a place in Narok. On the 2nd of February 2010, over 31,000 bullets, trucks, Government Land Rovers, Land Rover Spare parts, 20,000 liters of gas [petrol] and other kinds of weapons were discovered in Narok. Today the issue about those discoveries has gone silent. In 1991, thousands of arrows made from South Korea were intercepted at the Jommo Kenyatta International Airport on arrival from South Korea. The then South Korean Ambassador to Kenya admitted that the arrows had been imported by the Kenya Government. Soon later the issue about the interception of the arrows went silent. But a few months latter the same arrows with the same labels, resurfaced in the bodies of the killed in 1991 and in the bodies of those wounded in the attacks. Your Excellency Mr. Ambassador, what are the possibilities that those bullets discovered in Narok will not resurface in the bodies of innocent women and children come 2012? Mr. Ambassador how can we rule out the possibility that there may be many more weapons being hidden in different places especially in the Rift Valley? The current silence of the Kenya Government over the discovery of the weapons is similar to that experienced in 1991 before the arrows imported from South Korea were used to kill innocent Kenyans. I, on behalf of the entire Diaspora, send your Excellence with a message. We want to be briefed on weekly or on Monthly basis the efforts the Kenya Government is making in its investigations on hidden weapons”.

Surprisingly, unlike what we all expected from the Ambassador when he woke up to address Kenyans, an arrogant, brutal and a derogative response in defense of the Kenya Government as is common with most Kenyan leaders, the well composed ambassador said, “I thank the speaker for his passionate emotional message, we do not like corruption, no one likes it and I will take your message home as it is without distortion”. He then delivered a wonderful speech to all Kenyans who had assembled at the Yale University.
The Ambassador’s answer to the tough message from the courageous Kenyan reminded me of the Ambassadors Patriotism when he was jailed for seven years by the Moi regime. It was that day most of us knew exactly who Ambassador Peter N.R.O Ogego is. He is one of the few Patriotic Kenyans who love their Nation and the Kenya People at heart.

After the address at the University the Ambassador was hosted to an entertainment where Kenyan DJ played Kenyan music all the night long. Many Kenyans and their friends danced all the night. They all had a wonderful time. I would see a jovial ambassador watch the happy Kenyan crowd dance to their best.
On 11th. Of April 2010, the host Mr. Isaac Newton Kinity drove the Ambassador to Tumaini Community church in Springfield Massachusetts. They were joined by Professor John Kiarie, Engineer Charles Kodi and Dr. Mugo of the Kenyatta University. Rev. Joseph Kimatu and his congregation gave us a very warm welcome. The Ambassador, a lover of children spent over half an hour talking to children of the ages 3 to seven years, who had come forward to entertain us. After church service we were treated with delicious meal boosted with roasted goat meat. At 4pm the same day the Ambassador left for Washington DC.

Kenyans from all over New England remember the Ambassador for his good speech to Kenyans. He made the occasion worth to remember and he let Kenyans know him more. He created an everlasting bond. Kenyans who attended the occasion were disappointed to read in the Standard newspaper later. Mr. Chris Wamalwa, the Standard Correspondent in USA, who covered the visit from Friday the 9th. Of April 2010 to 11th.of April was quoted by the Standard Newspaper as having said the Ambassadors visit in Connecticut was to challenge President Obama. He quoted a statement released by the Ambassador three or four years ago when President Obama, then a Senator visited Mathare slums in Kenya and advised the Kenyan leaders to build some concerns on those who languished in poverty there. It is sad that corruption has permeated all areas of different systems in Kenya. The Editors of Newspapers in Kenya are as corrupt as Kenya leaders are. Every time a statement is released by any Kenyan on a subject of a crime, atrocity, corruption or poor governance, the editors often call those involved and inform them about the consequences of releasing the comments in the press. Because of fear of being exposed the Kenyan leaders and many others in authority by such information with large sums of money. The information is thereafter destroyed instead of being published. Kenyan Editors of different newspapers make a lot of money out of that. Sometimes they make more than half a million from one single article depending on how sensitive the article or the information is. Some journalists and correspondents do the same. They ran very fast to collect sensitive information in order to sell it to the authorities or to those concerned or mentioned in those articles at high prizes. Many Kenyans back home and those in the Diaspora have been providing very important information about secrets of misdeeds by some Kenyans in authority, but when the editors receive the information, they first test whether it can fetch money. Any information that does fetch money before publicity it does not get to the Newspapers, instead it is sold and destroyed. Whether what transpired during the Ambassadors visit to Connecticut was sold by the Standard Editors in Nairobi or by Mr. Chris Wamalwa himself it remains a puzzle. All we know in Connecticut is that something shoddy happened somewhere because Mr. Wamalwa’s team had video cameras and took notes of everything that happened. The Standard Newspaper cannot convince any sane Kenyan or foreigner that the Kenyan Ambassador to USA would travel all the way from Washington DC to Connecticut [a five hours journey] to lecture on Kenyans about President Obama’s visit to Kenya four years ago. That was very open corruption. Our Newsmen should try to hide such open corruption  from the eyes of Kenyans and foreigners who also read the Kenyan Newspapers.
Isaac Newton Kinity
Former Secretary General
Kenya Civil Servants Union and Chairman
Kikimo Foundation for Corruption and Poverty Eradication.
5/23/2010